Hottest Deals

On Friday we saw the first of many offers appearing in the catalogues of various retailers showing some great bargains on Xbox 360 consoles. What made these offers so good was the fact that there was a $100 cash back offer from Microsoft mentioned which could be applied to them (as long as you made your purchase between the 26th and 31st of December). What appears to have happened though is that this “announcement” of the cash back discount by retailers took place while Microsoft was still trying to keep things under wraps – but clearly failing miserably at it.

The apparent breakdown in communication between Microsoft and some of the largest departmental store chains in Australia, resulted in Microsoft quickly taking down the web page on Saturday of the cash back offer details (www.xbox360cashback.com.au).

What this post aims to do is compile a list of the various Xbox 360 offers available to help you find the best bargain out there, assuming the prices remain as they are come the 26th of December.

Big W was the first place we spotted this deal which mentioned Microsoft’ s $100 cash back promo. Here you can get a 4GB console plus Batman Arkham Origins for $198. Minus the $100 cash back and you’re looking at $98 in total. The offer is available online from the 23rd of December but you’ll only be eligible for the cash back promo if you purchase between the 26th – 31st Dec.

Not a bad deal considering the Xbox 360 4GB Console normally sells for at least $169 (delivered) on it’s own elsewhere such as the Microsoft Store and EB Games. Meanwhile, the Batman Arkham Origins game is priced at over $42 (delivered) at Ozgameshop, EB Games, and Kogan.

EB games have another bundle where you can get LEGO Batman 2 along with the Xbox 360 4GB Console for $188, so $88 with the cash back. When comparing with the above two offers then, your choice largely comes down to your preference in the type of game you’d prefer to play.

Microsoft appears to have a good deal going on the console itself, which we’ve heard elsewhere (from another forum where a user actually called up Microsoft’s support line) that they’ve confirmed this offer is valid with the cash back discount if you purchase directly from them. Thus the console will cost you only $69 and if their current promo remains valid after the 26th, you´ll also possibly get two free games as well. So this could potentially work out to be the best deal of all depending on whether the games are included and whether you have a particular preference for their selected game titles on offer.

The full terms for the Microsoft Cash Back Offer:

According to this deal posted by “Donkey” on Buckscoop’s Deals page before Microsoft took down the cash back page on their website, here’s a summary of the terms:

A. Make an eligible purchase during the promotional period (26th – 31st December 2013);

D. Submit your online claim form via www.xbox360cashback.com.au, along with a scanned copy of your eligible purchase receipt during the promotional period. If you do not have the ability to submit a copy of your eligible purchase receipt online, you will print out the online claim form and mail this, along with a copy of your eligible purchase receipt to: Xbox 360 cash back offer, PO Box 6246, Baulkham Hills BC NSW 2153, by 31 January 2014;

E. Your $100 cash back will be deposited into your nominated bank account as stated on the online. Claim form by 28 February 2014. For full terms and conditions visit www.xbox360cashback.com.au